Perfect Target
by amehanaa
Summary: AU Prompt: I'm a fairy with really bad aim so while hunting I accidentally shot you in the shoulder with an arrow; I'm so sorry can I make it up to you in any way? Oh, shit, you're a wizard, please don't turn me into a frog I'll do anything you want me to!


"Take a deep breath, and you'll hit your target," Lucy whispered to herself, her voice lighter than the gentle breeze that tickled her skin.

She used the shadows that were provided by the green leaves as a shield. The shade sprinkled across her body, like fairy dust. Just one misstep and Lucy's effort to remain hidden would be a waste; she couldn't afford to have anyone or anything on the ground notice her. This was her first mission to hunt in the woods, after all.

Lucy's fingers clung onto her makeshift bow with all her strength as she angled it downwards, ready to release the arrow at any given moment. The sound of the arrow stretching back usually soothed her, but now, she was more anxious than she had ever been.

Her aim wasn't exactly the best _—_ alright, scratch that. Her aim was absolutely _horrible._

No matter how hard she tried, how many hours she practiced, and how much magic she used, Lucy just couldn't shoot an arrow properly. It was only once in a blue moon when she actually hit her target. But after finally getting the chance to go on a mission by herself for once, she couldn't help herself. She _needed_ to feel what it was like to hunt alone. Even if she wasn't able to aim well, that wasn't going to stop her from trying.

"Something's coming," she realized immediately. These were the perks of being a fairy _—_ she was able to hear the faintest footsteps even if they were over a mile away.

Lucy stayed as still as she possibly could as she stealthily waited for whomever was coming. The woods had always comforted her, but it was at times like this where her body was entirely tense. By how faint the footsteps sounded, she was sure the animal approaching her was a deer.

Slightly shifting her weight to get into a better position, she anticipated the moment where she would be able to free her arrow and send it flying into her first reward. She was confident she would be able to aim at a deer, as long as it didn't notice her. She could already feel the victory at her fingertips.

Lucy held her breath when she was able to hear the footsteps loud and clear. She was expecting for a deer with chocolate brown fur to shortly come into view; however, her body became frozen when she was met with a head of pink hair.

"What the—" she gasped in surprise, not aware of how clammy her hands had become. Then, before she could stop it, she felt the arrow move on its own.

"No, wait!" she whispered frantically as she started to lose her grip on the arrow. She cringed as the bow's string did a soft _pluck._ With that, the arrow had vanished.

"What the _hell?!"_ a voice roared seconds after Lucy's mind registered what just happened.

Lucy didn't hesitate to drop her bow and quickly speed down to the ground to where the blood curdling yell came from. Her jaw fell with horror at the sight she flew down to.

"I am so sorry!" she exclaimed, promptly falling to her knees and hunching down to the ground. "I am so sorry!"

"What did you do to me?" the boy groaned at his blood-stained shirt.

Lucy lifted her head slightly, peeking at where her arrow had landed. Her eyes widened once she saw that it had struck him in the center of his right shoulder. His hand covered his wound, and she knew by the amount of red on his shirt, she needed to act fast.

"I can fix this! I can fix this!" she assured hastily while fluttering her wings to pick herself back up.

"Do fairies always say things twice?" he inquired as she suddenly began to pace around him, mumbling under her breath.

Lucy's mumbles were simply her thoughts as she frantically tried to recall any type of healing spells. Her mind was going absolutely haywire, knowing that each second that passed was another second the boy had to endure. She clenched her fists when she knew all the healing spells she recited weren't going to help the situation.

"Oh, she stopped talking," the boy observed aloud. "Now, what's she going to do?"

Lucy forced herself to look at him, biting her bottom lip to hide its trembling. Her watery eyes locked with the boy, though out of the corner of her eye she noticed his hand wasn't around the arrow anymore. It was on his hip.

"W-What happened to the arrow?!" she shouted with bewilderment. "Did you pull it out of your shoulder?!"

"Oh, this thing?" he reached down to the ground to take up the arrow, spinning it around his finger. "No way, it didn't even touch me."

"It didn't touch you?" she echoed as though she didn't understand. "Then, what's that red stuff on your shirt?!"

"I get messy when I eat berries," he shrugged.

"I can't believe this," she whispered to herself in utter relief. If it weren't for her wings holding her up, her knees would have given up by now. "So, are you a fairy, too? Is that why you were able to stop the arrow?"

"Of course not, I'm a wizard! I'm a fire dragon slayer!" he grinned proudly.

Although Lucy had met plenty of wizards in her life, her immediate reaction was to bring her hands up in front of her so he could see them.

"Please, don't turn me into a frog!" she blurted out, flinching when he took a step forward. "I'll do anything you want me to!"

"Anything?" the boy repeated slowly.

Lucy gulped as she nodded. It was against her morals to lie to someone, so she knew she had to keep her word. "I'll do anything for you for two weeks! Just, please, don't turn me into a frog."

"I'll take it. Come with me," he roughly snatched her hand and started to drag her out of the woods with him.

"Can I have your name?" she asked, not sure if she heard him over all the snaps of branches their steps made.

"It's Natsu. Yours?" he responded easily.

"Lucy," she replied. They were out of the woods now, entirely vulnerable to everything inside the woods as they stood in an open field. Lucy felt the instinct to fly back up into the trees where she felt most safe, but she knew she had to ignore it if she wanted to keep her human body.

"Glad to have you as my servant, Lucy!" he proclaimed enthusiastically. "Let's get started!"

Lucy didn't know what to expect once Natsu wanted to _get started._ She also couldn't believe they were going to begin so fast. Didn't he need some time to think of what he wanted her to do? She decided she was going to oblige to all his commands, no matter how ridiculous they might be. If this is what it took to not be transformed into a frog, then so be it.

She was ready to do anything; she tilted her head in confusion when Natsu ordered her to go up into the trees.

"Are you sure?" she questioned with a puzzled expression. "You don't want me to act as bait for anything, or wash your clothes for you?"

"Why would I have you do that?" he lifted a brow. "You're good up in the trees, right? Come on, then! Oh, and take this, too!"

Lucy looked down at the brown paper bag Natsu shoved into her hands. None of this was making any sense to her.

"Well, okay," she reluctantly accepted. "What do you want me to do once I'm up there?"

"I want you to follow me through the woods. Every time I open my mouth, you throw what's in that bag," he instructed.

"Okay, I understand. I'll be up there, then," she answered. Without another word, she traveled up to the consoling elm and beech trees. Dozens of leaves allowed her to blend in with them, but even then, Natsu was able to find her without a problem. The way his eyes connected with hers from below made her chest become warm for some reason.

"You ready?!" he called up to her, interrupting her thoughts.

Lucy nodded, realizing that he probably couldn't see her very well, yet Natsu began to walk with those muffled footsteps of his. While she followed him while using the trees' branches as her guide, she couldn't believe someone as energetic as him was able to go through the woods as silently as he was.

What was even more impressive was that his footsteps were still as light as a feather even when he bumped into some prey. Lucy couldn't help but marvel at how quick he was able to defeat it, his fists becoming a blur while he fought.

Besides the show Natsu put on for her, Lucy was beginning to wonder what exactly she was supposed to do, since all she had done for the past hour was follow Natsu in the trees. The top of his head was getting awfully boring to view down at. However, the moment she started to think this, she noticed him opening his mouth in her direction.

Ecstatic that she was finally going to do something, Lucy opened Natsu's bag and reached in to see what she'd been holding this whole time. She frowned when she saw they were berries, hesitating as she grabbed a few berries.

"Come on, Lucy, toss them already!" he spoke up to her.

"B-But my aim," she protested with a squeak. "I don't think I can—"

"You want to be turned into a frog?" he threatened with a squint.

"No!" she exclaimed, acting on reflex and throwing the berries down at him. She gasped as he caught them all with half-hearted effort.

"Glad you didn't aim for my shoulder this time," he grinned before resuming his walk.

Lucy's face had never felt this blazing before as she had no choice but to resume with him. She could already tell—putting up with him for the next two weeks was surely going to be more difficult than she expected.

* * *

For the next several days, all Lucy and Natsu did was walk. Well, in Lucy's case, mostly hop onto every other tree branch and only in rare moments did she walk alongside by him on the ground.

While receiving only bits and pieces of valuable hunting advice, Lucy's only task during those days was merely to toss down berries at Natsu each time he opened his mouth towards her. Of course, she'd get bored doing that for three straight hours, so she would purposely make him have to take a few extra steps in order to catch the berries. Each time he sent her a glare, she giggled softly to herself.

It was a little hard to believe this was all he wanted her to do at first. She was so sure she was going to be doing his laundry, or even polishing his shoes. There _had_ to be a catch, right?

"There is," he remarked when she said her thoughts aloud. "It's me!"

Lucy rolled her eyes, not wanting to know if he was being serious or not. "Is this really all you want me to do for you? Throw berries down at you while you hunt? You don't want me to help you find some prey?"

"I don't need anything else," he answered plainly.

Lucy sighed in response, having no other option but to continue giving him berries. If this was going to be her only task, then she didn't mind too much. It could be worse. Though she had to admit, she did miss the feeling of hunting. She somewhat envied the bright expression on Natsu's face each time he finished a battle with some prey.

It wasn't until the fifth day when instead of being handed another bag of berries, Lucy was ordered to take out her bow and arrow. "What are we doing today?" she inquired.

"Hunting together," Natsu informed with a smirk. "Let's go."

The word _together_ replayed in Lucy's mind over and over again. She never thought this day would come.

Anticipation coursed through her veins as she trailed behind him. For once, her tight grip on her bow was out of pure excitement. There wasn't a speck of anxiety inside of her this time.

Lucy soon began to notice that finding prey was taking longer than usual. Natsu didn't have quiet footsteps today; all he had were heavy ones as he nearly pranced around, doing exaggerated jumps over logs.

"Natsu, are we really hunting?" she asked with a subtle amount of irritation. She was starting to have trouble keeping up with him, having to match his childlike movements.

"Yeah, we'll start in a bit," he brushed her off, jumping over another fallen over log. "Loosen up a bit, will you?"

Lucy's steps came to a gradual stop as she sent him a scowl. How was she supposed to _loosen up_ when they were in the middle of the woods, hunting? The woods was no place to be playing around; that was how she was taught.

"It doesn't hurt to have a little fun in the woods," he remarked, his voice interfering with her thoughts. "Now, keep following me or I'm going to turn you into a frog in your sleep!"

Lucy blinked a couple of times at him before resuming her quick steps after him. Being his servant wasn't as difficult as she thought it was going to be. It was more… _different._

Natsu was different, and for some reason, she didn't seem to hate it.

But what she did hate was that not once during that day did they actually hunt. Instead, it was spent trying to see who could leap over the most fallen over logs.

* * *

"A day off?" Lucy's eyes widened in surprise while she read the letter Natsu left for her at their meeting spot.

It had been a week now since she was taken in to be Natsu's servant. Although a week didn't seem like much, after spending nearly eighteen hours every day with him, a week felt like a month. She actually felt a bit proud to say she had survived this whole servant thing. And to be honest, she _really_ needed a break from seeing Natsu's smug face.

"Well, might as well see what we can find today," she spoke to herself while going up into the trees. She positioned her arrow into her bow with ease, immediately feeling a different aura surrounding her and her bow. Pulling back and studying her bow with confusion, she made sure she wasn't subconsciously using her magic to aid her aiming.

She needed to test this out, whatever _it_ was. Scanning the area to find a good target, she began to angle her arrow towards a certain area of leaves. All she was hoping for was to strike the side of the pile, but when her arrow went straight into the specific leaf she was focused on, she stiffened.

"Maybe all I needed was a small break," she tried to convince herself under her breath.

However, that wasn't all that improved. Her sight of prey improved immensely—Lucy was able to find a herd of deer ten times faster than usual. And better yet, her movements on the tree branches above felt even lighter than before.

Lucy couldn't comprehend how she was able to improve this rapidly, but instantly understood when she found herself remembering Natsu's advice each time she moved. She face-palmed herself with a sigh.

"How did that pink-haired idiot manage to do this?" she grumbled. "All he made me do is toss him berries."

"Hey, that's not all I made you do!" a voice exclaimed beside her.

Instinctively reacting on reflex, Lucy jolted and stretched out her bow to the person. A determined look was settled on her face, but it softened as she realized it was the person she had spent the last 126 hours with.

"And I thought it was really going to get me this time!" Natsu sighed out in relief when she lowered her bow.

"What are you doing here?!" she burst out, taking a look at his uncomfortable squatted position on the branch.

"I don't know how you're able to be up here for this long," he grunted once he adjusted himself onto another branch. "My legs have ached for hours."

"How long have you been following me?" she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Long enough to see how much I've helped you this past week," he smirked. "You're welcome, by the way."

"Y-You didn't help me!" she stammered stubbornly.

Natsu lifted a challenging brow. "So, you're saying that your aim didn't get better because of me?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," she spoke with an unconvincing tone.

"Are you _sure?"_ he pressed, leaning closer to her. "I didn't help at all? Not even a little bit?"

"Not even a little bit," she replied with a gulp. She held her breath once Natsu was centimeters away from her. Did he not notice that the branch he was on wasn't going to be able to support all his weight?

"Are you—" Natsu began, but was cut off by the short _crack._

Lucy grinned as Natsu disappeared from her view, falling on his back with a loud thud.

"You look comfortable!" she teased down at him.

"You're _so_ getting turned into a frog once you're done being my servant," he coughed out when he picked himself up from the ground. His lips twitched as he tilted his head up at her. The sun was right above her, so his eyes squinted slightly. Weirdly enough, her wings weren't what was sparkling the most. What was, was her smile.

"I look forward to it!" she continued to tease him.

"Whatever," he mumbled before stomping back out of the woods.

Despite it being her day off, Lucy followed Natsu without a second thought. Even if they weren't supposed to be together today, it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun in the woods, right?

"I didn't think you missed me this much," he scoffed while she sat beside him as he effortlessly started a fire for them. It had become a routine for them to end the day with a nice, warm campfire.

"How could I miss you if you were with me the entire time?" she retorted, holding back an amused smile as a shade of pink swept over his cheeks. "I don't have anything to do today, so I might as well spend it here."

"Yeah, right," he scoffed again. "Anyway, while I was watching you today, I noticed something. You're holding your bow wrong."

"I am?" she gaped at him with embarrassment. She reached for her bow and held it as she normally did, tilting her head at him.

Her breath promptly came to a stop once Natsu's hands went on top of hers and he placed them to where they needed for them to be. For some reason, she didn't want him to take his hands away.

"Yep, I've definitely helped you enough today," he stated when he pulled away and rested his hands at the back of his head. "You're welcome."

"Thanks," she muttered, secretly hoping he didn't hear her. She knew he did when a toothy grin spread across his face.

"Now, we're matching."

Lucy glanced at him, not having any idea how they could be matching. But the finger he pointed at his cheeks answered it for her.

"Come on, Lucy, that's cheating! My face can't go _that_ red!"

* * *

The next week went twenty times faster than the first week. Thankfully, the second week was spent _actually_ doing stuff. Lucy was playing an active role in their hunting adventures and Natsu was more behind the scenes. Of course, he didn't miss the chance for him to get the spotlight at some points, but she didn't mind. It was exhilarating—all of it was.

And now that Lucy's archery skills seemed to be better than ever before, she was having the time of her life. She didn't want these servant days to end.

But eventually, the day creeped up on the two. On the morning of their last day, neither of them mentioned it. It started off as normal as any other day; Natsu starting their walk and Lucy making herself at home in the trees. It wasn't until mid-afternoon when he abruptly told her to come down to the ground with him.

"Why are we stopping all of a sudden?" she questioned.

"I figured you should have an easy last day," he responded simply.

"I don't need an easy last day," she protested. "Come on, let's go back."

"You really want to be turned into a frog, don't you?" he sent her a disapproving look.

Lucy's mouth closed, remembering her servant role. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she walked behind Natsu with her gaze lowered.

Although she felt nothing but joy when she hunted, it was moments with Natsu where she felt a small amount of the same joy, too. No matter what he said, it was enough for a smile to appear on her face. Lucy's cheeks had begun to throb from laughing so much; she casted a look up at the darkening sky.

"Looks like our last day is coming to an—"

"I have a confession," Natsu cut her off.

Lucy's eyes widened at the word _confession._ "Natsu, you know that fairies and wizards, especially _dragon slayers,_ don't really—"

"I don't really have the power to make you into a frog," he blurted out.

She paused, viewing his hand excessively rubbing the back of his neck. The sight would have had her laughing for ages, but she kept it to herself.

"I know," she spoke after a while.

"You knew?" his eyes became large this time.

"It doesn't hurt to have a little fun in the woods, right?" she replied slyly.

Natsu grinned, wanting to wrap his arms around the fairy and spin her around in the air. Instead, he dug into his pocket and took out a bag of berries.

"Want to go on another round of hunting before it gets dark?" he offered.

"Give me the berries," she responded with her own grin.

With that, the two dashed into the woods, not caring that their laughter was probably chasing away all the prey. They spent the next couple of hours together, not even realizing that it was dark until there weren't any more berries left.

Ending their day with the routinized campfire, they silently sat next to each other for a few moments.

"So, now what?" Natsu asked randomly.

Lucy twiddled her thumbs in front of her for several seconds. She took a deep breath—it had been a long time since she said these words. "Let's be friends."

"Friends," he echoed.

She nodded, tilting her head towards him and noticing the deep color of his cheeks. Lucy instantly started to smile.

"And you say your cheeks can't get any redder!"

* * *

 **I seriously don't think I've ever written so many one-shots in such a short amount of time... It feels so weird to me that I've posted three one-shots in the last three months! It sounds pretty average, I know, but it's a different change of pace for me since I usually only write multi-chaptered fics. And I just now realized that I've posted a one-shot on November 1st and now I'm posting another one on December 1st... Perhaps I'll add another month for another one-shot? ~**

 **Well, first thing's first, this is a request by the tumblr user, no-one-you-should-know. :-) She literally requested this like, a month ago and I feel so so bad it took me this long to write it. I need her patience so bad omg. I would also like to thank for her for requesting this, because I've never written anything fantasy related, so this was pretty cool to do!**

 **I've missed updating so much, I hate that I only update every two weeks or so. ;c I suppose this is what happens when you're slowly dying because of school.**

 **Well, anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this one-shot! Please, tell me what you thought about it and how you think I can improve!**

 **Oh, and also, try checking out my profile in the middle of December. I may or may not be announcing a second part to one of my angst one-shots. ;-)**

 **Hope to see you guys on another story of mine! Happy December 1st! Thank you so much for reading!**


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